Today's Veterinary Business

OCT 2018

Today’s Veterinary Business provides information and resources designed to help veterinarians and office management improve the financial performance of their practices, allowing them to increase the level of patient care and client service.

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56 Today's Veterinary Business Leadership
Leadership
TAKE CHARGE
By Abby Suiter, MBA, CVPM
After we had children, so much
of that effort fell off. Our time, mon-
ey and attention were reallocated
to raising well-adjusted, contrib-
uting members of society, and our
beloved fur baby fell in priority.
Many clients are experiencing
similar household transitions, and
it is critical for veterinary profes-
sionals to recognize this. What are
we doing to accommodate these
young families? How can we help
them successfully meet their pet's
wellness and medical needs?
Take time to audit your patient
care and hospital practices. From a
client's perspective, what systems
and protocols are creating barriers
to compliance? What could you do
to ease the burden?
As a working mom of 1- and
3-year-olds, I have these requests.
Let Me Stay in the Car
I am much more likely to run
an errand in a timely fashion if the
place of business offers the conve-
nience of drive-through services,
allowing me to avoid schlepping
heavy, sleepy or rowdy children
in and out of the car. Groceries,
pharmacy, coffee, dry cleaning — I
prefer convenience over cost every
time. Short of building a drive-
through window, consider offering
curbside options for veterinary
clients simply purchasing medica-
tion or dropping off or picking up
pets for boarding, grooming and
technician appointments.
Let Me Pick
My Appointment
Like most families, mine is perpet-
ually on the go. Finding a gap in
a schedule filled with work, naps,
school, sports, pediatrician appoint-
ments and mommy-and-me classes
to do things like take our pet to the
veterinarian requires serious logis-
tics. Ask clients a few open-ended
questions and understand their
most desired time slot before you
pigeonhole them into the first
available opening. For me, the dif-
ference in convenience between 10
a.m. and 10:30 a.m. can be like night
and day. Additionally, consider pro-
moting forward-booking wellness
exams to help busy clients prioritize
routine visits. Many moms do this
for pediatrician, dentist, OB-GYN
and hairdresser appointments. Let's
add veterinarian to the list.
Value My Time
After I have master-crafted
an appointment slot, finding out
that what I thought would require
30 to 45 minutes of my time will
actually take twice as long because
the "doctor is running behind
schedule" can wreak havoc on my
day's plan. Of course, valid scenar-
ios occur that cause appointment
schedules to run behind in our hos-
pitals. But when that happens, the
response should be, "All hands on
deck." Get creative about catching
up and keeping client convenience
in mind. What can the patient care
team get started while the client
waits for the doctor or an exam
room? Would the client like to drop
off the pet and run an errand while
In our DINK (dual income, no kids) years, my husband's and my parenting efforts were channeled solely
on our dog, Marlie, an 11-year-old, gentle, playful chocolate Labrador. We took her on vacation, to the beach, on the
boat and out for drinks. We invested in training, Tempur-Pedic bedding and annual preventive dentals.
1
From manager to momager
How becoming a mother changed my perspective
on clients, co-workers and protocol.
2
3